Oakland vs Seattle
The short version
- Seattle is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Oakland area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $929,900 in Oakland and $938,600 in Seattle.
- Households earn more in Seattle ($123,860 vs $101,600 median).
- Oakland has the warmer winter: January highs of 60°F vs 47°F.
- Seattle is growing faster: +6.5% since 2020 vs +0%.
- Commutes are shorter in Seattle (26 vs 30 minutes each way).
- Washington has no state income tax on wages; California's top rate is 13.3%.
Side by side
| Oakland, CA | Seattle, WA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 440,838 | 784,777 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0% | +6.5% |
| People per square mile | 7,877 | 9,343 |
| Median age | 37.9 | 35.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 49% | 68% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $101,600 | $123,860 |
| Median home value | $929,900 | $938,600 |
| Home value to income | 9.2× | 7.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,979 | $2,030 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 115.6 | 111.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 194.7 | 151.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $86,700 | $83,300 |
| Homeowners | 42% | 44% |
| Top state income tax | 13.3% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 9.03% | 9.57% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 29.8 | 26.0 |
| Work from home | 27% | 35% |
| Take public transit | 13% | 12% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.4% | 4.6% |
| Poverty rate | 13.4% | 9.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 60° / 45° | 47° / 37° |
| July high / low | 72° / 57° | 77° / 57° |
| Precipitation per year | 23 in | 38 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 4 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 5 | 2 |
| Nights below freezing | 0 | 25 |
| Comfortable months | 10 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.8 | 99.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | n/a | 56% |
| Home prices, past year | -4.8% | +0.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +8.2% | +24.6% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Oakland: February to November. Seattle: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Oakland weather by month and Seattle weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $86,700 in Oakland and $83,300 in Seattle. Moving from Oakland to Seattle, you would need about $72,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Oakland and Seattle
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Oakland and Seattle.
Which would you pick?
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